VIA’s Toronto operations relocated during G20 summit

Just received this e-mail from VIA: (summary details only)

The following changes will be in effect for the period of June 24-27, 2010. During the core G20 summit dates, due to extremely low advance ticket sales, VIA will be operating a weekend schedule.

* All VIA trains between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Windsor, London and points enroute will originate/terminate in Oakville.
* All VIA trains between Toronto and Sarnia via Kitchener and London (“north main line”) and points enroute will originate/terminate in Brampton.
* All VIA trains between Toronto and Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Gaspé and points enroute will originate/terminate in Oshawa.
* VIA’s Toronto-Vancouver Canadian will originate/terminate at the Oriole GO Transit station (that will be the fun one!).

The usual options for such extraordinary circumstances seem to apply - changes to reservations without penalty.

Here's the full release: http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail ... during-g20

I find this a bit extreme - Union Station is outside the main barrier, and as far as I know, GO trains will be operating as usual.

Oh how things have changed!

The G7 Summit (as the G20 was then) was held in Halifax in 1995 and people were actually encouraged to come into the city for the weekend.......and it was quite a festive atmosphere. Lots of bars, restaurants, local entertainment and exhibits along the waterfront for the hundreds of delegates and foreign media. I remember standing in line along a downtown street as the motorcade with Jean Chrétien, Bill Clinton, John Major, Helmut Kohl, Boris Yeltsin etc. passed only 25 feet away. There was lots of security but nothing intrusive like today.

Ken and Everyone: Remembering on how rail systems were affected in both Boston and NYC during the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions
I was speculating on how Toronto would be affected during the coming G20 Summit.

In Boston's case the 2004 DNC was held at the Fleet Center(now TD Banknorth Garden)and North Station directly below it was closed and the four MBTA Commuter Rail lines
serving it along with Amtrak's Downeaster Service were routed to serve outlying stations in which connections were made to MBTA Rapid Transit lines or bus connections to Downtown Boston. The North Station on both the Green and Orange line rapid transit was also closed.

I now think knowing the proximity to Union Station of the G20 convention venue that Union Station will indeed be closed for the duration and that GO Transit and the TTC
will make alternate plans known soon. I think that GO will end train service at basically transfer points accessing TTC Subway or other transit service.

In NYC's case the 2004 RNC was held at Madison Square Garden above Penn Station. Despite calls by some to close Penn Station it was deemed too vital to NYC for it to be closed. NYC responded by assigning literally thousands of police officers to Midtown Manhattan and NYP was heavily guarded inside and out with entrance and exit restrictions and police officers riding virtually every train in and out during that time period. Many regular commuters anticipated problems and ridership on LIRR
and NJ Transit trains serving NYP fell upwards of 50 percent.

Because of the "hourglass" bottleneck design of the rail lines serving Toronto Union Station I had thought that it would be too vital for Toronto for it to be closed and that
a security plan keeping Union Station open would be in place. With Union Station closed using alternate routes around Toronto will be time consuming among other things let alone serving outlying points with decent connecting service to Central Toronto.

There is a ongoing discussion concerning the G20 Summit in Toronto at:
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.p ... G20-Summit
14 pages and counting at last check this morning (June 4th)

Thoughts and insight from MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:...

I now think knowing the proximity to Union Station of the G20 convention venue that Union Station will indeed be closed for the duration and that GO Transit and the TTC
will make alternate plans known soon. I think that GO will end train service at basically transfer points accessing TTC Subway or other transit service.
...

GO Transit says it will operate normally in and out of Union Station. The doors to Front Street will be locked but there are many other entrances and exits. Regarding the Canadian at Oriole, I think VIA should be doing better for its passengers, many of whom will be paying more than $2,000 for the one-way trip to or from Vancouver. Passengers with same-day connections will be shuttled to this rather inconvenient location, but the rest are on their own which I think is rather shoddy service. The other temporary terminus locations, especially Oakville and Oshawa, have good GO train connections - but Oriole, good grief. If I were going out on #1 on one of these days I would buy a through ticket from Oakville which adds only $20 to the fare.

Here is an excerpt from VIA's Website regarding the Canadian:

Your departing or connecting train will leave from the Oriole GO Transit Station - (3300 Leslie St., North York)

* Passengers with same-day VIA connections will be shuttled to Oriole Station. Personnel onboard your Toronto connecting train will provide the relevant travel details.
* Passengers starting their trips in Toronto are responsible for their own travel arrangements to Oriole Station, for the departure time indicated on their ticket. Please plan to arrive at the station for 9:00pm, time at which the train will be ready for boarding. The train will leave at 10:00pm, being the time shown on your ticket.
* The station provides public parking, plus a passenger pick-up/drop-off area.

I think this is deplorable. As if getting into Toronto isn't tough enough. I know it's only for a weekend, but it's still going to be a pain to get into town. I feel sorry for the Canadian passengers or, worse yet, those trying to connect with the Canadian.

Are they not running the GO trains? How is this logical?

Next time, they should hold the summit at CFB Trenton. It comes complete with high security and even a prison.

My thoughts,

Mike

IF GO Transit will be running its usual operation, then VIA's pull back to the suburbs seems an overreaction at best and stupid at worst.

CHTT1 wrote:IF GO Transit will be running its usual operation, then VIA's pull back to the suburbs seems an overreaction at best and stupid at worst.

At this point, and as more and more disruptive info pours out, I can't see how GO will be able to have a normal operation, at least from June 25-27.

just wondering if the ONR Northlander will also be running from and terminating at Oriole also???? Dumb press release re trains for Gaspe and Halifax originating at Oshawa. Wouldn't they commence in Montreal as normal????

Ontario Northland will be replacing the Northlander train service south of North Bay with buses between June 24 and June 28.
http://www.ontarionorthland.ca/media/ra ... 10.10F.pdf

thanks Ken. Do you think the Canadian could be a problem with Richmond Hill Go Trains at Oriole or does the schedule make it a non issue?

The Canadian is scheduled to come into Toronto about 50 minutes after the last southbound Richmond Hill GO train stops at Union, so it shouldn't be a problem at Oriole.